


Color In My Life

by Miloca



Category: GOT7
Genre: A bit of past traumas, Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22486804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miloca/pseuds/Miloca
Summary: Jaebum is in a new relationship and he wishes for it to last.
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Color In My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta read.

Jaebum was happy. He had a great job, a nice apartment, and was dating a wonderful guy for about 2 months now. A relationship he was enjoying and hoping that would last long.

It was the first time Youngjae would go to his apartment, so he was a bit nervous. Jinyoung, Jaebum’s best friend, had mocked him with this “delay”, but Jaebum was fine with it. He and Youngjae were busy people, - they had met in a conference of all places - and, besides that, his boyfriend was a little inexperienced and had asked for them to take it slow.

Jaebum liked him enough already to agree to that, so they had stuck to going out on dates, for dinner, movies, brunch on weekends and walks on the park with Youngjae’s dog, Coco, since he felt more comfortable meeting in public places because it was less intimate.

They were making plans for Friday night when Youngjae had said: “You always say that you’re a good cook, can I taste it?”. Jaebum asked twice if he was certain he was comfortable coming over and only after Youngjae reassured him, he planned what he would do.

Now that his apartment was neatly tidied and the kimchi jiggae was done, the only thing to do was wait and Jaebum was getting nervous. What if Youngjae didn’t like his place or his food? What if this would blow up their relationship?

Thankfully, the interphone rang and stopped his thoughts. He buzzed Youngjae in and went to wait for him by the door. Jaebum greeted him as soon as the doors of the elevator opened, making the brunette smile.

“Was it difficult to find my address?”

“No. Not at all!”

Jaebum smiled more.

“Welcome in!”

“Thanks!”

Youngjae entered the apartment and looked around. It was a beautiful space, modernly built with big glass windows, spacious for a localization so close to the center of the city, but it was lacking a little bit of color here and there on the decoration, for Youngjae’s taste.

However, as far as he already knew Jaebum, it was what he expected: dark wood and black leather on the furniture.

He approached the windows and admired the view through the open curtains. That probably had appealed a lot when Jaebum bought the place since he loved photography and beautiful things.

“Do you wanna take your coat off?”

That brought Youngjae’s attention back.

“Yeah. I brought wine.” He said extending the package he was holding.

“Thanks. I will open it. Do you wanna eat already or want a tour around?”

“I’ll accept the tour.”

Jaebum left the wine breathing in the kitchen and they walked through the apartment. It had one suite and two more bedrooms with a shared bathroom, one of them turned into a home office. The living room was connected to the dining area and the kitchen, after that was a small laundry space and, to finish the tour, they went to the little balcony aside from the living room.

“Your apartment is so good, hyung. I think it’s double the size of mine.” Youngjae giggled.

“I’m sure your apartment is as good as mine.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I adore my house, but it’s way smaller than yours. But attends my necessities, so it’s good.”

“That’s what matters.” Jaebum smiled and gave Youngjae a peck on the lips. “I’ll serve the wine, make yourself at home.”

Youngjae wandered around the living room, observing the photos placed here and there, some black and white, others colored with cold tones. It screamed Jaebum’s taste and made Youngjae question himself again how they got together because he was - as his friends liked to say - a bright, colorful person. But, supposedly, opposites attract, and Youngjae was really happy with Jaebum.

The black-haired man came back with served wine glasses and handed one to the brunette, that smiled back at him.

“So… What do you think?”

“I already said, hyung, it’s really good.”

“You talked about the size only.”

Youngjae slapped him lightly on the arm.

“Don’t be silly. It’s beautiful. The view is awesome! I guess that had a big parcel on your choosing.”

“Yes, it did.” Jaebum looked at the window. “I wasn’t looking for a place this big, but my friend - Jinyoung, you know he is a realtor -” Youngjae nodded. “insisted that I should come here. When I saw the view I simply couldn’t resist. It turned out well, because my parents have a room that is theirs when they come to Seoul and I have a separate office, so they can stay as long as they want and that doesn’t disturb me.”

“Ah, that is so nice! I sleep on my couch when mine come from Mokpo and my home office is my kitchen counter or my bed.”

“You’re comfortable financially, you said it the other day, why don’t you look for a better place?”

“Because I’m saving to give my parents their own house first.”

“Oh! You’re a very good son!”

They giggled and Jaebum grabbed Youngjae’s hand, pulling him towards the table.

“Come, let’s eat before the food gets too cold.”

“Okay.”

“I know the weather is becoming chilly, but today is still warm enough so I thought we could eat on the balcony?”

“Sure.”

“I already served the food, we just need to take the dishes with us.”

They did that and sat on the table for two that Jaebum had on the balcony, looking at the city and talking about everything that came to mind. They had finished their plates when Youngjae blurted out.

“You’re a chef, hyung!”

“Come on! I’m not that good!” Jaebum got flustered.

“Seriously, I don’t know why you had to ask so many times if I wanted to try your food.”

“It wasn’t-” Jaebum cleared his throat. “It wasn’t because of the food.”

“No?” Youngjae looked at Jaebum with his head tilted. “Oh! It’s because we’re at your house.”

“Yeah.” Jaebum was uncertain of what to say next, but he didn’t need to say anything.

“Hyung…” Youngjae touched his hand. “Thank you for your concern, really.” Jaebum tried to dismiss that, but Youngjae continued. “Hyung, you’ve been so patient, you’re experienced and I’m not, and that makes you hold back in respect to me. I know you say you don’t mind, but it can’t be that easy. Be sincere, please.”

Jaebum sighed. He didn’t want to talk about that, exactly, but he knew how communication was always important.

“In the beginning, I questioned myself if I would really endure, but as I came to know you better and get to like you more and more, I realized that it wasn’t hard to go at the pace you need. Especially because I know why you need it.”

Youngjae’s expression darkened.

“Isolating myself after losing my best friend was bad for my life in general.”

Jaebum squeezed his hand.

"You suffered a trauma, Youngjae, isolating yourself was the way you found to cope with that, don't beat yourself up because of it."

"It wasn't the best way to deal with my trauma, though."

"Maybe not, but it was the way you found at the time, now you're working on it in a different way and that's good."

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I began going to a therapist and I started to open myself to other people again. It’s also the reason I’m able to talk about it with you.”

Jaebum nodded, not saying anything more. He is a psychiatrist, so he is quite aware of not getting into someone else’s work, also, since he is emotionally close to Youngjae, involving himself could backfire. But Youngjae had opened up about his trauma so Jaebum could understand him and he was thankful for that.

“Did I tell you that that game conference where we met was my first time going out to somewhere with so many people in months?” Youngjae asked, smiling a bit.

“No.”

“Yeah. I usually cover just online game events, because I don’t need to go in person. I wasn’t even scheduled to cover that one, but my therapist kind of challenged me to go as in an exercise to see people and, maybe, engage. Since I didn’t have to work it was one less concern, so I could just enjoy it. But I was afraid, so I dragged Mark hyung with me.”

“And I was there because Jinyoung made me go with him so he could have some ‘real’ adult to talk to while his boyfriend was having fun.”

“Then Mark hyung talked to you since you know each other from college, right?” Jaebum nodded. “So he introduced us and suddenly Yugyeom showed up, and I know him because we both work with video games.”

“And just like that, we were a group, because Yugyeom is Jinyoung’s boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but you don’t know Jackson hyung yet.”

“And you don’t know Yugyeom’s best friend, Bambam.” Jaebum took a sip of his wine. “By the way, have you been talking with the maknae? I remember you said you knew him, but you didn’t have any kind of contact, really.”

“Yes, I only knew him because I cover game competitions where he plays professionally, but we became friends now. We even met a few days ago in a PC house.”

“Don’t you get tired of playing games?”

“No!” Youngjae giggled. Jaebum felt happy that they were able to leave the heavy talk behind. Youngjae was prettier when he was smiling.

The rest of the night went with lighter subjects of conversation while they ate dessert. Then it was time for Youngjae to go home. Jaebum accompanied him to the front of his building, where his boyfriend would grab a cab to go home.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? I don’t mind.”

“I’m sure, hyung. I’ll send you a text when I arrive, okay?” Youngjae was smiling, he loved how Jaebum cared about him.

“Okay.”

The cab he had called arrived. Youngjae kissed Jaebum before leaving him on his sidewalk. They ended up texting all the way until Youngjae said he was safely inside his apartment and that he was going to sleep.

After that first night, it became common for them to spend time at Jaebum’s apartment. Youngjae even took Coco there with him once.

A little more than a month later, Jaebum was getting ready for New Year and thinking of Youngjae, when the doorbell rang. He answered and greeted Jinyoung.

“Did Yugyeom ditch you?”

“No.” Jinyoung rolled his eyes at him. “He is going to meet us at the party later.” He got in, taking out his coat and sitting on the couch. “What about Youngjae?”

“He went to Mokpo the visit his parents.”

“And he didn’t invite you? Ouch. Still taking it slow, I see.”

Jaebum snorted, going to the kitchen to grab two beers.

“He actually did, but unfortunately I had already confirmed to your parents that I was going to their party.”

He handed Jinyoung his beer and sat by his side.

“You could have canceled on them.”

“And be hated forever? No. We are friends all our lives, Nyoung, and I never skipped your parent’s New Year party. I’ll have other opportunities to meet Jae’s parents.”

“So you got cold feet.” Jinyoung teased.

“A bit, yes.” Jaebum admitted and they laughed.

“You really like him, don’t you, Jaebum-ah?” Jinyoung got serious.

“I do.” Jaebum stared through the window. “I think I love him.”

“Wow.” Jinyoung looked at him. “It’s the first time I hear you saying that about someone.”

“And?” Jaebum looked at his best friend.

“And I’m happy for you. Loving someone is amazing. It’s hard too, but it’s an amazing feeling.”

“You’re so whipped for Yugyeom.”

“Guilty as charged.” They giggled in unison. “But you are no one to talk. What is that?” Jinyoung pointed to a picture frame that was on the furniture below the TV.

Jaebum smiled fondly.

“Youngjae gave to me as a Christmas gift. It’s the first selca we took.”

“Oh! That’s sweet! And colorful.” Jinyoung laughed.

“It’s pretty.” Jaebum elbowed him.

“I never said it wasn’t! But it isn’t exactly your style.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have bought that, but surprisingly I really like it, not only because it was Youngjae who gave it to me. It’s artsy.”

Jinyoung got up to look it closely.

“You’re right, it’s artsy. This fits your style. So Youngjae chose something you would like, but with color. Smart man! I always thought your apartment could use a bit more color on the decoration.” He said, sitting back.

“You never said that before.”

“You wouldn’t listen to me anyway, so why bother?” He shrugged, making Jaebum laugh.

They finished their beers and left for the party.

Jaebum was having fun there, with his friends and his parents, but he still missed Youngjae, so he sent a few messages to him, trying not to send too many. To his happiness, Youngjae was addicted to messaging and answered him enthusiastically.

It was almost midnight and Jaebum was already close to his parents when his phone rang. It was Youngjae, calling for a video call, that he answered immediately. It was very good to see his face.

“Hey, hyung!”

“Hey, Jae!” He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to sound desperate for the other.

“Are you really having fun, hyung? It seemed like you couldn’t stop texting me.” Youngjae teased, what was uncommon of him.

“Youngjae? Are you drunk?”

“Just tipsy.” Youngjae giggled. “You didn’t answer my question, hyung.” He whined.

“Yeah, I’m having fun. But I’m also missing you.”

“Ah! I miss you too, hyung!”

“Jaebum-ah, they will count down soon!” They both heard a female voice calling him and then the face appeared to Youngjae. “Oh! You’re on the phone, I’m sorry.” She looked at the boy on the screen. “Are you Jaebum’s boyfriend?”

“Mom!”

“I am, ma’am.” Youngjae smiled, not knowing what to say.

“Mom, can you excuse us? This is not the way I want to introduce you to Youngjae.”

“Okay, okay.” She smiled at him, then turned to the phone. “I wish to meet you soon, Youngjae. Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, ma’am.”

Jaebum’s mom got back to her husband’s side, leaving them alone, per se.

“Jae, are you in a safe place?”

Jaebum could see Youngjae squinting his eyes.

“I am. Why?”

“You’re tipsy, I’m worried.”

“Oh! Hyung, you’re so cute! Don’t worry, I’m at home. We’re gathered in my parents’ house. I’m safe.” He smiled widely. “By the way, my parents also asked about you. My mom wants to meet you too.”

“It’ll happen, Jae. I’m sorry, I-”

“Hyung, you had an appointment already, we all understand that.” Youngjae assured him.

“Yeah, I know…” Jaebum was feeling bad for not telling him the whole truth. “I know it’s really close to midnight, but can we talk privately, Jae?”

Youngjae saw he was serious and walked away from his family. Jaebum saw him moving and moved too. He found the toilet, while Youngjae got into a room.

“I really had already said to the Parks that I was coming to their party. But I have another reason I didn’t try to cancel on them.”

Jaebum was dead serious. He knew that that wasn’t exactly the right time nor the best way to explain himself, but he couldn’t hold it any longer. Youngjae waited for him to speak.

“I got nervous. I have only met the parents of someone I was involved with once before and that didn’t end up well. So I got cold feet. That’s the whole truth.”

“You don’t want to meet my parents?”

“I do! I really do! I just… I got scared. I would be in your city, at your house. I wouldn’t have a place to run if things went bad and all these thoughts overwhelmed me, so I scared away and didn’t even try. I’m sorry, Youngjae.”

Youngjae kept quiet for a moment. Jaebum knew him well enough to see that he was processing what he had heard, so he waited.

“Was your last experience that bad?”

“I liked him, he apparently liked me, but his parents didn’t. As soon as they met me they started interfering. It didn’t take a month for him to break up with me. And I know it was because of his parents, he said that to me.”

“Yeah, that’s bad. I understand where you’re coming from, hyung.”

“I really want to meet your parents, Jae. After I left you at Yongsan Station, I started realizing everything. And I had to tell you, I was feeling like I had lied to you, even though I only understood why I didn’t go with you after everything happened.”

“Thank you for telling me, hyung. I was sad you didn’t come, but I understood your first reason and I understand the second too, it’s still sinking in, but I understand.”

They both heard people shouting outside the rooms they were.

“You should go and be with your family, Jae.”

“You too, hyung. But don’t hang up. Let’s be together with the way we can.” Youngjae smiled at him and Jaebum felt lighter.

“Okay.”

They got out and Jaebum had to run to his parents, but they both made it. After all the hugs, toasts, and screams, Jaebum looked at his phone again and Youngjae was still there, looking at him.

“Happy New Year, Youngjae-ah.”

“Happy New Year, Jaebumie hyung.”

They ended the call after that so they could focus back on their families. In the morning, Youngjae called again, waking him up, and they talked for more than an hour. Jaebum had been right about opening up to him, it brought them closer.

When Jaebum got out of his room, his parents were in the kitchen, having breakfast. They greeted him.

“Son, you have a mismatching mug in your cabinet.” His mom said. “I didn’t remember it.”

“It’s Youngjae’s. I saw it when I was shopping for Christmas and it fits him so much, I bought it.” He smiled. “But he didn’t see it yet. We met in his apartment for our little Christmas celebration, before he went home, for New Year.”

“Oh, that’s sweet of you, honey.” She smiled fondly. “I see you’re really invested in this relationship, I wish we can meet him soon.”

“I’ll talk with him about it, mom. I want you to meet him too.”

“When you have a date we will come. He is with his family, right? That’s why you talked over the phone yesterday?”

“Yes. They’re from Mokpo and he went there.”

“Did he invite you to go?”

Jaebum looked at his dad, that was just observing, looking for help that didn’t come. He sighed.

“Yes, but I got nervous, so I didn’t accept the invitation.”

“Oh, baby.” His mom cooed, going to hug him. “It’s okay to feel nervous when you like someone so much. You don’t need to feel embarrassed.”

Jaebum opened his mouth, then closed, took a deep breath, and let himself enjoy the hug.

“Thanks, mom.” He was really grateful for the support.

His parents spent the rest of the day with him, only leaving on the next morning, at the same time Jaebum went out for work.

Youngjae only came back to Seoul on Sunday, 5th, and Jaebum went to get him at the station. Jaebum got excited as soon as he saw the first glimpse of Youngjae and rushed to meet him. The brunette smiled at him, but he could see something was wrong. Jaebum took the suitcase from Youngjae’s hand and hugged him.

“It’s so good to see you!”

“Hi, hyung. I missed you too.” Youngjae said, but his voice sounded weak.

“Are you feeling anything, Jae? You don’t seem well.”

“I was fine for half the trip, but then I started feeling sick. I never got motion sick before, but I guess this time it happened.”

“Did you take anything?” Jaebum asked while he supported Youngjae and made him sit on a bench.

“No. I don’t have any medicine with me. I tried to sleep it off, though.”

“Are you feeling better?” Jaebum was concerned.

Youngjae closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I think so, a bit.”

“Let’s rest here a little while, then.” Jaebum said, looking attentive at Youngjae. “Do you want to eat or drink anything?”

“Water. Sparkly water, please.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Jaebum left Youngjae and went quickly to the vending machines, besides the one that had beverages it was one with snacks. He studied it and saw that it had crackers, so he bought it too. Jaebum went back and handed Youngjae the bottle of water already open.

“Take small sips.” He observed the other. “Try to eat this? It can help.” Jaebum showed the crackers, Youngjae took one and took a small bite of it, chewing slowly.

The black-haired man got closer and put one arm over the other’s shoulder, so Youngjae could rest comfortably against him. They spent almost half an hour there, not even talking, just together, until the brunette felt well enough to go.

They were 10 minutes into a ride that would take at least 30, because of the traffic, when Youngjae let out a whimper. Jaebum looked at him quickly and saw that he was pale.

“I’ll take you to the hospital, Jae.”

“No, hyung, please?” He whined. “I’m not feeling that bad, I just need to rest.”

Jaebum sighed.

“Can I take you to my house, then? I don’t want to leave you alone like this, but I have to work on a few things, and it will be a faster ride.”

“Okay.”

Youngjae agreed so fast that Jaebum was sure he was feeling worse than he wanted to show. But he decided to leave that thought on the corner of his mind and busied himself on changing lanes to go home.

Ten minutes later, they were on the elevator of his building, Jaebum was practically supporting Youngjae up because he was feeling really sick. Jaebum dropped the suitcase by the door and guided Youngjae to his room.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom, Jae?”

“I just wanna lay down.” He answered with a slurred voice.

“Okay.”

Jaebum went forward, straight to his bedroom, where he helped Youngjae to lay down on the bed. The other sighed as soon as he was comfortable and closed his eyes. Jaebum busied himself going to the front door to retrieve the suitcase to put it on a corner of his room for easy access, bringing water to the bedside table and trying to tidy things.

“Hyung?” He heard the murmur the next time he entered the bedroom and hurried closer to the bed.

“Yes, Jae?”

“Gonna throw up.”

Jaebum ran to his bathroom to grab the trash bucket and back, just in time for Youngjae to throw up in it. After he finished, Jaebum wetted a washcloth to clean his face and made him drink water.

“I’m gonna sleep for a while, okay, hyung?” Youngjae said, after taking a few sips.

“Sure! Okay. Rest, Jae.” Jaebum kissed his forehead, which made Youngjae smile.

Jaebum went to the other side of the bed, sat there, and observed Youngjae for a while. He appeared to be sound asleep, then Jaebum got up and went to clean his trash can at the laundry room and then to his office, after checking on Youngjae. He had a few things to work on and he didn’t want to disturb Youngjae’s sleep with typing sounds.

Almost 2 hours later, Jaebum heard a thud and ran to his room. Youngjae was kneeling on the floor, one hand grabbing the sheets over the bed, the other on the ground, probably stopping him from falling completely. Jaebum went to him and helped him sit back on the mattress.

“What happened?”

“I woke up and wanted to go to the bathroom, so I got up, but I felt dizzy and fell.”

“I don’t think you’re feeling like this because of motion sickness, Youngjae. I should have taken you to the hospital.”

Youngjae looked apologetic.

“You can call Mark hyung.”

“Mark? Why?”

“He is a doctor.”

“Oh! Yes, obviously! I’ll call him, but first I’ll help you.”

Jaebum helped Youngjae to go to the bathroom, but waited by the door, so he would have some privacy. He heard him throwing up again but waited for his call, then he helped him back to bed.

“I’m sorry I’m giving you so much trouble, hyung.”

“I don’t mind taking care of you, Jae. Actually, I’m glad I can help you, don’t worry.” Jaebum caressed Youngjae’s hair. “While I call Mark, do you want anything?”

“No.”

“Okay. Close your eyes again, I’ll be right outside the door, call me if you need anything.”

Jaebum left Youngjae resting and went to the hall, to call Mark.

_“Hello?”_

“Mark hyung? It’s Jaebum.”

 _“Hey, Jaebum! How are you?”_ Mark sounded joyful.

“I’m fine, but I’m calling because of Youngjae.”

 _“Did something happen?”_ Jaebum could hear the seriousness that entered in the other’s voice.

“I went to welcome him at the station when he came back from Mokpo and he wasn’t feeling well, kinda nauseous. He thought he was motion sick. I brought him home with me because I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

_“You did right. But I guess he didn’t get better yet?”_

“No, he didn’t. He slept for about two hours, but when he woke up and got up he felt dizzy and fell. He also threw up twice, before and after sleeping. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he doesn’t want to go and told me to call you.”

_“Send me your address? I’ll go check on him. How is he now?”_

“He is resting in my bed.” Jaebum looked through the door. “I think he is dozing off again.”

_“Okay, don’t disturb him, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Send your address through a message?”_

“I’ll send it now.”

_“Okay, see you soon.”_

“See you.”

Jaebum hung up and sent a text with his address to Mark, then he got back in his room and sat on the corner of the bed.

“Talked to hyung?” Youngjae slurred out.

“Yes, he is coming here to check on you.”

“Will he bring Coco?”

“Oh?” Jaebum looked at Youngjae, but he still had his eyes closed. “I didn’t ask. I’m sorry, Jae, I forgot about Coco.”

“It’s okay.”

“Don’t worry about her now. You said to me that Mark is her other dad, so I’m sure she is been well taken care of. Get better first, so you can take care of her later.”

“Yeah, hyung.”

Youngjae sighed and relaxed again. Jaebum stayed there, fumbling with his cellphone until he heard the doorbell and went to answer it.

He welcomed Mark and showed him his room, leaving him alone with Youngjae, so the doctor and friend could exam him. Jaebum paced up and down his living room until Mark left his room.

“How is he?”

“Can I have something to drink first?”

“Ah, sure! Sorry, I’m so worried about Jae, I forgot to offer you anything.” Jaebum went to the kitchen. “I have water, coffee, and beer.”

“Coffee, please.”

Jaebum made coffee for both of them and led Mark to the couch so they could talk.

“I suspect Youngjae has an intestinal infection.”

“Shouldn’t he be throwing up more? And going to the bathroom?”

“I think it’s a light one. He said he did go to the bathroom twice during his ride on the train. He hasn’t eaten since a snack he had at the station this morning and he also didn’t drink much water today, so he is probably a little dehydrated. Dehydration and not eating probably caused his dizziness.”

“You can’t say what he has for sure.”

“Jaebum, you know how medicine works. To be emphatic I would need to, at least, submit Youngjae to a blood test. He has no other symptoms, he was pretty healthy before today, and he ate unusual things in an unusual place. My conclusion is good, I’m sure.”

Jaebum sighed. He knew Mark was right.

“I know you’re worried.” Mark continued. “Actually, I’m happy to see you this worried, because this must mean you care about him a lot and Youngjae deserves it. But he will be okay. What he needs is someone to take care of him, to drink lots of water, and to eat light foods. If another symptom appears, then he needs to go to the hospital.”

“Right.”

“Will you take care of him or-”

“Of course I will!” Jaebum got irritated.

“Okay, okay.” Mark smiled. “Do you need anything? For Youngjae? I can go to his apartment and bring anything.”

“I think that we can solve everything with what he has on his suitcase.” Mark nodded. “Oh! How is Coco?”

“Youngjae asked already.” Mark giggled. “She is fine. She’s having a lot of fun with Milo, my dog. I can keep her at my house until Jae is well.”

Jaebum nodded.

“Okay, but if he wants her here I’ll take her to him.” He was quiet for a few. “So Jae needs rest, lots of liquids, and light food?”

“Yes.”

“I think I need to go grocery shopping.”

Jaebum got up and went to look into his cabinets and refrigerator. He grabbed a notepad in one of the drawers and made a list, Mark observed him from where he was on the couch. Jaebum didn’t mind being observed, he also knew how close Youngjae and Mark were, since kids, so he thought he was being evaluated, and he didn’t mind that either. He had done the same with each one of Jinyoung’s boyfriends since adolescence.

“Can you stay here just while I go grocery shopping?”

“You will trust me to stay in your house practically alone? A stranger?”

“You’re not a stranger. We were never that close, but I considered you very close to a friend in college. Also, you’re Jae’s best friend.” Jaebum shrugged.

“I can stay for…” He looked at his watch. “About 2 hours.”

“That will do, thanks, I’ll be quick.” Jaebum said, already going to the door.

He had opened it, but stepped back and went to his room. Youngjae had his eyes closed, but he opened them when he felt Jaebum’s hand caressing his hair.

“I didn’t want to disturb you, but I’m going out to the market, do you want anything?” Youngjae denied moving his head. “Mark will stay here until I come back.” Youngjae nodded. Jaebum kissed his forehead and left.

He went to the market on the next block and quickly shopped what he needed, going back home in forty minutes, packed. He organized everything and started cooking under Mark’s observance. The doctor had said Youngjae was sleeping and it was dinner time already, so Jaebum rushed to make a nutritious soup for them, even inviting Mark to eat with them.

They ate at Jaebum’s room, trying to entertain Youngjae so he would get distracted and eat more than a few bites, he needed sustenance. After dinner, Mark left, saying he would take care of Coco for a while more and that they could call if they needed anything.

Later, Youngjae went to the bathroom and didn’t throw up, what was good, but the food he had eaten didn’t stay in his body anyway. During dawn he went again, waking up Jaebum, that was sleeping by his side.

Finally, in the morning, Youngjae’s face was looking better, he wasn’t so pale and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Jaebum got up and went to make breakfast.

His phone was buzzing with messages, but he ignored it until it started ringing with a call from his parents.

“Hello.” He answered, already smiling.

 _“My baby, happy birthday!...”_ His mom talked non-stop for a while, wishing him all the best and giving him advice on how to live better. When she finally stopped to breathe, he talked.

“Thank you, mom. I love you.”

 _“I love you too, baby. Can we have dinner together tonight? Call your friends and Youngjae! I and your father will treat you all.”_ Jaebum could hear her giggles and excitement.

“Can we leave it for the weekend, mom?”

_“What? Why?”_

“Youngjae came back a bit sick, I’m taking care of him,” He looked at his room’s way. “so today wouldn’t be the best day to meet him or for him to go out, actually.”

 _“Oh! I’m sorry he is sick, but I’m sure you’re taking care of him well and he will soon be better.”_ He smiled hearing his mom’s support for him. _“We will leave the celebration for the weekend. I’ll let your father know we’re not going to Seoul today. And I’ll let you take care of Youngjae now. Send him my best wishes?”_

“I will.”

_“Yeah. Happy birthday, my baby, I love you!”_

“Thanks, mom, I love you too! See you soon.”

_“See you, baby. Bye!”_

“Bye!”

He had just hung up when he saw Youngjae coming from his bedroom. Jaebum was happy to see that he really looked better.

“Good morning, Jae! How are you feeling?”

“Morning, hyung. I’m better.”

“Do you want breakfast now?”

Youngjae was close to him but keeping his distance by standing on one side of the counter, while Jaebum was on the other.

“I would rather take a shower first. I feel kinda gross.”

“Sure. Feel free to use anything in the bathroom. Your suitcase is in the room, but if you don’t have clean clothes I can lend you some.”

“I have clothes, but I don’t have a towel.”

“They’re on the first door of the wardrobe, close to the window.”

“Thanks. I’ll be quick.” Youngjae was blushing lightly.

“I should have put a towel there for you since yesterday. Take your time, breakfast is not ready yet.”

Youngjae nodded and retreated. Thirty minutes later he came back, refreshed, wearing clean clothes and with one hand behind his back. Jaebum was on the couch, sipping coffee from a plain black mug. He pointed to another one on top of the coffee table.

“I made tea for you since you like it and coffee may be still strong for you for now. I just served it so it’s still warm.”

Youngjae thanked him but didn’t pay any attention to it. He sat by Jaebum’s side, facing him and really close to him, letting the package he was holding behind his back fall on the couch behind him. Jaebum looked at him inquisitively. Youngjae hugged him tightly.

“Happy birthday, hyung!”

Jaebum giggled. “Thanks, Jae.”

“I’m sorry I’m giving you so much trouble.”

He was still with his face hidden in Jaebum’s neck, but the latter held his arms and gently pushed him away just the sufficient to look Youngjae in the eyes.

“I couldn’t mind less. I’m happy to take care of you. It is no trouble at all.” Jaebum kissed him, then, making Youngjae relax. “You should drink your tea before it gets too cold.”

Youngjae nodded, smiling, but first, he handed Jaebum a gift, the thing that he had been hiding - poorly hiding, he knew, since the package wasn’t exactly small.

“I hope you like it, hyung.” Jaebum received it, smiling brightly, and only then Youngjae took his mug. “Oh!” He noticed that it was decorated. “I didn’t remember you had decorated mugs, hyung.”

“I didn’t. This one is special. For you.”

Youngjae looked at him, lost. “What?

“I was shopping before Christmas and when I saw it I simply couldn’t resist. It made me immediately think of you.”

The mug was brown with the drawing of a little white dog playing video games. It made Youngjae giggle after he paid attention to the details.

“Thanks, hyung! It’s very cute!” Youngjae took a sip of his tea, humming in appreciation to the warmth and taste. “It’s delicious, hyung.” He kissed Jaebum’s cheek. “Now open your present!”

“Okay!”

The package wasn’t very light, but it was fluffy and when Jaebum opened it, he saw a lot of colors, more than one square meter of color in various patterns combined.

“I came to notice, in our recent movie nights, that you like to snuggle in cozy blankets, so…” Youngjae explained. “I know the colors are bold, but-”

“It’s perfect, Jae.” Jaebum pecked him on the lips. “It’s perfect! Very soft, I really like soft blankets. And the colors are well mixed.” He said while extending the blanket over his lap to look at every inch of it. “Is it handmade?”

“Yes! Yes, it is. My mom did it.”

“Oh!” Jaebum looked at Youngjae, his heart fluttering.

“I went to Mokpo and I didn’t know yet what to give you, because my ideas were fried after Christmas.” Youngjae giggled. “When I arrived home, she showed me that, because she was finishing it and I immediately thought of you, so I asked if I could keep it. I wasn’t planning on saying that it would be a gift, because she gets nervous when we want to give her doings to others, but she asked if mine was rotten already.”

“You have one too?” Jaebum noticed right away that his question was stupid. “Of course you have since your mom does it.”

Youngjae chuckled. “Yeah, I have one. It’s two or three years old, I think, but it’s very good yet. Actually, it’s better now than when it was new.”

“I know the feeling.”

“Yeah… Well… I couldn’t lie to her, so I said I would gift it to someone. She asked if I was going to give it to Mark or Jackson and I hesitated to answer-”

“Why?”

“Ah…” Youngjae blushed. “They know about you since basically the beginning of our relationship, but I still get nervous to talk about you, hyung.” He shrugged. “But when I hesitated, she deduced right away that was you who I wanted to gift.”

“And what did she say?” Jaebum held one of Youngjae’s hands over the blanket.

“She got really nervous, she said it was far from perfect, that she could design a new one and all, so I had to calm her and assure her that you would like it as it was. It was hard, but I achieved it.” Youngjae giggled.

“Please, say to her that I loved it.” Jaebum smiled at him.

“I will.”

“Now, let’s go have breakfast.” Jaebum put the blanket on the side and got up, pulling Youngjae with him by the hand.

They indulged in the food Jaebum had made and talked about their days apart.

“You are really feeling better.” Jaebum said, happy.

“I am, hyung. Thank you for taking care of me.” Youngjae kissed his cheek.

“Anytime.”

“Are your parents coming today, hyung? To celebrate your birthday.” Youngjae asked while they were washing the dishes.

“They wanted, but I said we should leave the celebration for the weekend, so you can be 100% better.”

“Hyung! You shouldn’t have dismissed your parents because of me.”

“They understood, Jae. My mom said I was right and for me to take good care of you. They want to meet you and they want to do it when you’re feeling well.” Jaebum caressed Youngjae’s cheek, smiling at him. “We will have dinner on Saturday. Me, you, my parents, Jinyoung with Yugyeom. BamBam, if he is in town. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Jaebum noticed Youngjae was a bit nervous.

“I was thinking…” Youngjae looked attentively at him. “Do you think your parents could come this weekend?” Youngjae’s mouth fell open. “You could also invite Mark and Jackson. That way our parents have other people to focus on, beside us. What do you think?” Jaebum bit his bottom lip, nervously.

“I think…” Youngjae scratched his head. “That this is a good idea, yeah. I can ask dad if they can come. And Jackson hyung is here and he has been asking when he will meet you.”

“Let’s do it, then?”

“Let’s do it.”

They laughed. They were nervous, but their plan sounded good, so they were also a bit excited.

Youngjae stayed with Jaebum for the rest of the day and until the next one. At some point, they worked together on Jaebum’s office, Jaebum getting ready for a lecture he would give by the end of the week, and Youngjae catching up on his next article.

During the rest of the week, the warm feeling that grew on Jaebum’s chest the more they acted domestic during those days didn’t leave him. Not even when he started getting nervous with the approach of their dinner on Saturday.

He hadn’t been able to talk much with Youngjae since the night before, because the Chois had arrived and Youngjae spent the day with them out. The Ims would meet Jaebum directly at the restaurant. But he was starting to think if his plan was really good…

BamBam was in town too, so it would be a full group meeting and he knew how chaotic his friends could be. Jaebum could only hope they wouldn’t scare the Chois.

Fortunately, the Chois were very easy going and quickly warmed up to everyone. His own parents helped a lot, being the gentle and caring and social couple they were.

At the end of the night, their friends left first, so it was only Jaebum, Youngjae, and their parents at the door of the restaurant waiting for their cabs. Jaebum insisted for the Chois to take the first cab that arrived, so Youngjae went to hug the Ims in goodbye, while Jaebum talked with his parents.

Youngjae’s mom hugged him tightly and he shook Youngjae’s father’s hand, receiving a friendly pat on the back. The lady spoke to him softly, so her son wouldn’t listen.

“Thank you for being patient with my son about his traumas and showing him that opening up for other people is good.”

“You don’t need to thank me, ma’am. I’m thankful he let me in because I adore your son.” Jaebum also spoke in a whisper.

“We can see it, Jaebum-ah.” Youngjae’s father said, squeezing his shoulder. He raised his voice. “We need to go, son.”

Youngjae averted his eyes from Jaebum’s parents to look at his father and nodded. He hugged the Ims and went to Jaebum, hugging him too and kissing his cheek. Jaebum could see that he was blushing because of the PDA.

“Let me know when you arrive at home.”

“You too, hyung.”

The Chois said their last goodbyes and left. The Ims approached Jaebum, staying by both his sides. His mom hugged him and his father put a hand on his shoulder.

“They are good people.” Jaebum nodded upon hearing his mom. “Youngjae’s friends too. Your groups fit together, you seven make a good mix.”

“I agree with your mom.”

Their cab arrived and they detached themselves to get in. Jaebum ended up sitting between his parents, like when he was a kid. He chuckled remembering it. His mom was playing with his hand.

“Youngjae is good for you.” She said and Jaebum could sense she was getting emotional.

“What do you mean?”

“You always were a sweet boy, but you like to play tough. Recently, I have seen you softer. Youngjae makes you show your sweet side more and I love to see that.”

Jaebum was blushing hard.

“I love him, mom.”

“Oh, I know, baby.” She smiled at him.

“I didn’t say it to him yet.”

“You will tell when it’s right for you to tell, and I think he will say it back.”

“I hope so.”

She patted his hand, comforting him. They arrived home and went to bed. Jaebum exchanged a few messages with Youngjae, before falling asleep.

More weeks passed and Jaebum and Youngjae were spending more and more time together. They were in a phase where they wanted to be together even if they both had to work, usually sharing Jaebum’s office. Since his workbench was long, it had been easy to give a side of it to Youngjae. It was funny to enter there, even when his boyfriend wasn’t there, and see a pen holder in bold red color and a mousepad from Youngjae’s favorite brand, Supreme.

His bathroom had Youngjae’s products and a few of his clothes occupied one drawer of Jaebum’s wardrobe. On the table at the balcony was now a vase with small flowers planted. And Jaebum had bought a small blanket and a few toys for Coco, that he had placed on the corner of the living room and made Youngjae beam in happiness when he first saw it.

Jaebum also had more photos of them scattered around the house. Some of the two of them alone, only of Youngjae, of him with Coco and of them with their friends.

It was a Wednesday afternoon, and they were working together, with Coco sleeping at Youngjae’s feet when he received a call from the manager of his apartment. He got a bit stressed with the call, but Jaebum couldn’t understand well what had happened listening only to one side of the conversation.

“What is wrong, babe?” He asked when the other hung up.

Youngjae snorted. “They are going to do pest control in the building in two hours and we can’t stay there for the next two days. In my case, it would be safer to stay away for 3 or 4 days because of my allergies and Coco.”

“Stay here.” Jaebum said simply.

“The problem isn’t where I will stay, I can ask Mark or Jackson. But they should have notified me at least yesterday!” Youngjae was fuming.

“Stay here!” Jaebum emphasized.

“Hyung…” Youngjae was uncertain.

“You stayed here before and I love you so it’s just logical that I offer for you to stay. I want you to stay.” Jaebum stopped and blinked, his mind and heart realizing what he had just said.

Youngjae was looking at him, blinking fast and blushing.

“Hyung?”

“This wasn’t the way I had thought of confessing, but it’s the truth.” He held Youngjae’s hands, looking deeply into his eyes. “I love you, Youngjae.”

“I love you too, Jaebum hyung.”

Jaebum pulled Youngjae into him and kissed him deep and hotly. At some point, Youngjae sat in his lap, and they maid out for a while. They only stopped when Coco started barking. Jaebum took a deep breath to steady himself after Youngjae stood up to take his little dog in his arms.

“Will you stay here with me, Youngjae?” He asked, sweetly.

“Yes, hyung. Thank you.” Youngjae gave him a full, bright smile.

Jaebum got up and side hugged his boyfriend, petting Coco at the same time.

“Let’s go, then. We don’t have much time.”

They took Jaebum’s car and went to Youngjae’s building. When they arrived, the crew of pest control was already getting ready and the building manager looked at them frowning. Youngjae refocused on his anger and said it was his own fault he had notified him so late and that now he would have to wait because it was Youngjae’s right to take his time to pack.

“Do you want me to go and help you, Jae, or should I wait here?” Jaebum let implied that he wanted to keep an eye on the man.

“It will be better if you stay here with Coco, hyung.” Youngjae said, handing the dog, that was growling at the manager.

“Okay.” Jaebum said, holding Coco comfortably and smirking at the manager. “Take your time, Jae.”

Youngjae calmly walked inside the building, leaving Jaebum looking attentively at the manager. Any move of the man for the crew to start working and he would intervene.

It took Youngjae almost 40 minutes to pack what he and Coco would need and to leave the apartment tidied enough. He came back with two bags and a thermal bag. Jaebum took the bigger bag from him. The manager was growing impatient, but they didn’t mind.

“Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, hyung, we can go.”

Jaebum nodded and took the lead back to his car. Youngjae followed him, barely paying attention to the impatient man looking at them.

When they were inside the car they laughed.

“Did the manager give you any trouble, hyung?” Youngjae asked after he finally stopped laughing.

“No. I could see he was growing restless, but I think he knows he is the one that messed up, so he didn’t say anything. I even saw a few of your neighbors leaving while I waited.”

“Hum… He probably messed up with notifying everyone, then.”

“Yeah, I think so.” Jaebum quickly passed his eyes on the bags in the back seat through the rearview mirror. “The bigger bag is Coco’s?”

“Yes. I had to bring her bed. And the thermal one is because I remembered to check my refrigerator.”

“I figured.”

They enjoyed the ride for a while.

“Does the pest control crew get into your apartment?”

“No. It’s only on the external area, but they go through every hall, door and window, so the air gets heavy with products.” Youngjae sighed. “Two days after the application, they clean the building, then I call a cleaning firm I know and trust and they go and clean my apartment because the products can get in through the cracks on doors and windows. Only after my apartment is clean, I go back.”

“Right! Better safe than sorry?” Jaebum winked.

“Exactly. I have to protect myself.” Youngjae chuckled.

Soon they arrived at Jaebum’s and organized everything. Jaebum cleaned more space on his wardrobe for Youngjae, even under the brunette’s objection. Coco’s things were organized in the office and her bed was put by the side of Jaebum’s bed, on the side where Youngjae usually slept. After they finished organizing the house, Jaebum went to make dinner and Youngjae assisted him.

They had a great night, after dinner, they watched a movie cuddling on the couch. After that, Youngjae said he would wait for Jaebum in bed because he was tired. Jaebum didn’t go with him, because he remembered he had to check an email related to work that couldn’t wait for the next day.

When he entered his room, Youngjae was sat in the bed, wearing only boxers and a t-shirt. He looked at Jaebum intently. Jaebum’s heartbeat accelerated.

“Remember you said I would choose where and when, hyung?”

“Yes.” Jaebum swallowed hard.

“I want it-” Youngjae shook his head. “I want you, hyung. I want us to be together in every way possible.”

Jaebum nodded slowly. He could see Youngjae was dead serious, he was ready and Jaebum wouldn’t ask for assurance because he knew Youngjae so well now that he knew his boyfriend wouldn’t even suggest it if he wasn’t 100% sure. Then, Jaebum took a deep breath to steady himself and went to sit in front of Youngjae, caressing his face.

“Are you nervous?”

“Surprisingly, no.” Youngjae smiled softly.

“I’ll be honest with you and say that I am.” Jaebum said in a shaky voice.

“Oh, hyung!” Youngjae giggled. “I love you!” He hugged and kissed him.

The kiss deepened naturally. Youngjae slowly rested back on the pillows and Jaebum followed him, getting on top of him. From that on Jaebum let instinct and love guide him.

In the morning, Jaebum was awakened by Youngjae, that had brought him a cup of coffee.

“Good morning, hyung. You commented you had a meeting at ten a.m. today.”

“What time is it?” Jaebum asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Almost nine.”

He sat on the bed and accepted the mug.

“Thanks. Good morning, Jae.” They smiled at each other. “And you? What will you do today?”

“I’ll work from here for now, but in the afternoon I’ll have to go to the office.”

“I will see you only at night, then, because after my meeting I’ll spend the day attending at the clinic.”

“Okay.” Youngjae pecked on his lips.

Jaebum got up and they made breakfast. Then he got ready and left. His heart felt warm and full. He was so happy.

  
  
  
  


Jaebum was finishing dinner, it was almost Christmas again and he and Youngjae had invited their friends to their apartment - Jaebum’s apartment, to where Youngjae had moved in a few months back - to celebrate early before they went to Mokpo to spend the holiday with Youngjae’s family.

They would be back for New Year, to spend it with Jaebum’s parents and their friends on the Park’s party, but they wanted to celebrate in a smaller way first, thus the dinner.

Jaebum was using his new set of dishes, that were white with details in blue. He called everybody to the table after he finished serving. Youngjae passed by his side on the way to his chair and kissed his cheek.

“I love you, hyung.” He murmured.

“I love you too.” Jaebum murmured back.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please leave kudos and comments, some love.  
> I would love to talk to you!
> 
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